your backyard trials setups?

Stayed home being lazy. Worked on my son`s bike. New front tire. Changed fork oil. Tried a 44 tooth rear sprocket to make second gear more useable. Garrett had some time to test the changes.[/IMG][/IMG]

You can bury it a bit standing up, they had some at the Meridan Motorcycle Club like that on their clubhouse property in the practice area. They were taller tires and one was high but depending upon your skill can be the height out of the ground.

Fill the whole in on that tire. One great section is a long skinny that has some angle to it. Ride a 6 inch wide beam 20 feet very slowly. You can start with it on the ground, then raise it about 6 inches and it becomes :eek1. Raise it 18 inches and it really gets sketchy.

OK, got some online photo storage.
Weather was perfect for a wonderful evening and had a roll of construction ribbon that was given to me. So I set up a few mini sections in my partially landscapped back yard. Started off with the creek bed. Right, Left and right. up the walls. Even turned the water on.
Second time through I was cleaning it every time. Better then I thought I would do. Next time I will tighten the turns a little more.

With the creek bed cut in the ground it made a pile of dirt. Thought this would be easy. Come up the side hill and turn left 180° and down the hill.
Disaster every time. While the dirt is packed fairly tight it is just loose enough to turn to marbles when you try to do anything on it. I would wash out one tire or the other every time. I couldn't even paddle my way through this.

Spent the rest of the evening weaving around all the trees and other trash in the back yard until dark. Nice way to wind down the evening.

OK, got some online photo storage.
Weather was perfect for a wonderful evening and had a roll of construction ribbon that was given to me. So I set up a few mini sections in my partially landscapped back yard. (snip)

Disaster every time. While the dirt is packed fairly tight it is just loose enough to turn to marbles when you try to do anything on it. I would wash out one tire or the other every time. I couldn't even paddle my way through this.

Spent the rest of the evening weaving around all the trees and other trash in the back yard until dark. Nice way to wind down the evening.

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All I can say is, Rome wasn't built in a day, Bou didn't start riding trials in the past 5 years. all those "sayings" except the "if it was easy everyone would do it" that one is just wrong, there really isnt anything easier on a motorcycle, than learning to ride trials, on a getting to be less than a 150lb motocycle... Just sayin

Practice, practice, my padiwan, look for teachers of our sport, everyone wants to show you what they know, help out. make sure you practice and listen to the people that know the RIGHT WAY. once you get past the muscles your brain will apply it to everything trials, as long as we're doing it right to begin with.

It takes weeks per hour you have invested in doing it wrong, for a lot of people, and constant "for example" me bitching at them to stop it, LOL.

All I can say is, Rome wasn't built in a day, Bou didn't start riding trials in the past 5 years. all those "sayings" except the "if it was easy everyone would do it" that one is just wrong, there really isnt anything easier on a motorcycle, than learning to ride trials, on a getting to be less than a 150lb motocycle... Just sayin

Practice, practice, my padiwan, look for teachers of our sport, everyone wants to show you what they know, help out. make sure you practice and listen to the people that know the RIGHT WAY. once you get past the muscles your brain will apply it to everything trials, as long as we're doing it right to begin with.

It takes weeks per hour you have invested in doing it wrong, for a lot of people, and constant "for example" me bitching at them to stop it, LOL.

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I understand. I strung the ribbon in a way I though would give me a little challenge and help in areas I need some help in. I thought the switchbacks up the walls of the creek would be a learning curve, they weren't. So I plan to tighten them up an make it a bit more challenging. I was pleasently surprised that I could ride better then I thought I could.

As for the dirt hill. I know what I need to pratice on when I go out riding with others. Get some advise, some demos. I know one (more) of the things I need to work on. I may not know how to do it now, but I know what I need to work on. My goal is to find an area that I have issues with, recreate it at home, figure it out, pratice until it is good, apply it to the section.

The last time I went out I found that the pratice of the tight turns on fairly flat ground was paying off great. Now to work on the rest of the riding.

I understand. I strung the ribbon in a way I though would give me a little challenge and help in areas I need some help in. I thought the switchbacks up the walls of the creek would be a learning curve, they weren't. So I plan to tighten them up an make it a bit more challenging. I was pleasently surprised that I could ride better then I thought I could.

As for the dirt hill. I know what I need to pratice on when I go out riding with others. Get some advise, some demos. I know one (more) of the things I need to work on. I may not know how to do it now, but I know what I need to work on. My goal is to find an area that I have issues with, recreate it at home, figure it out, pratice until it is good, apply it to the section.

The last time I went out I found that the pratice of the tight turns on fairly flat ground was paying off great. Now to work on the rest of the riding.

Click to expand...

THat is why I said anything, IT SHOWS that you are working at it... Welcome to the dark side...

Doing well. Still not as strong as before, but considering they cut a third of the already undersized platela tendon out to rebuild the ACL, about as well as can be expected. Almost a year since injury, just over 10 months since surgery. Probably 85-90% of what it was. And probably all it will be. They wanted a 10mm graft, but since the tendon was undersized all they were willing to take was 9mm. I have the CITI brace that I wear while riding, and not when not riding. Doc wants me to use and grow as much as possible in the knee. Only use the brace for protection, NEVER for support.

The riding is right at a year behind. I feel like I was a year ago when I first got the bike. No better, but getting better. I had a HUGE dip in my abilities the moment the knee went out. Recovery has been good. I blew through the flexibility part of rehab in unheard of time. The 2-week post surgery follow up I was sitting in the doc's office with my legs crossed playing with the phone waiting on him to come back from lunch. He just about fell over laughing at the range of motion in the knee. I didn't know that most people's range of motion was so poor when they are healthy. I had my heel kicking my own ass it flexes so well. The trouble with the great flexibility is I have never had great strength. I do a ton of walking and some other exercises and I have gotten it stronger then ever, but I still don't have great strength in either knee. I doubt I ever will.

As for my riding, I am off my recovery curve and back to my standard learning curve. Still getting better. A bit disappointed I am no better then I was a year ago but understandable considering what happened. Then think back a few years ago when I first started riding. And I really mean first started riding. I was as begineer as begineer could be. ZERO off-road motorcycle experience. So there has been huge improvments in the past few years. No overnight expert here. Next goal, to not be last in the Novice class. I am aiming for the end of the year...

Insurance won't pay for a brace on a good knee. 2 months ago I made a little road trip to help a friend pack and move out of Cali. So I stopped at Chapperal motorsports and spent an hour trying on all of the instock knee braces. Great people. After trying them all I got an Astrick Cyto-cell (I think that is the right name). I found what fit the right knee, walked around the store, flexed it out. About half a dozen different versions. Don't care what the online reviews are like, you got to try them on and see what fits. I quickly ruled out about 4 different versions. The Troy Lee knee brace was a real close second place. I went back and forth a couple of times. The Troy Lee was just a hair shorter. If the CITI was made a little shorter I probably would have done the Troy Lee. But the Astrick was a better match for how the CITI on the left knee was set up.

Left the store with nothing more then a cell phone photo of the part number. Went to my friends place and ordered it online. No tax and free shipping to AZ. Sure beat paying Cali sales tax. It is a little different then the CITI, but I can't tell I am wearing either while riding. Both braces end exactly at the top of the boot.